


Old Soldiers and Other Broken Things

by schweet_heart



Series: Merlin Fic [10]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Broken Bones, Drabble, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Modern AU, Resurrection, future!fic, remix eligible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-16 22:16:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3504731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schweet_heart/pseuds/schweet_heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur breaks his wrist; Merlin decorates his cast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Soldiers and Other Broken Things

“Can I look yet?”

“No. I'm not finished, keep your eyes closed.”

Arthur huffed an annoyed breath, and Merlin’s lips twitched in amusement. Arthur removed from crown and kingdom was no less impatient than Arthur the king had been, but at least he seemed more willing to indulge Merlin’s strange whims now that it was clear that the only thing at stake was his kingly dignity. He tilted the king’s broken wrist into a slightly more comfortable position, and continued with his sketching.

“I just don’t understand why this is necessary,” Arthur burst out, a few minutes later. “Is it required that one sit through this ridiculous ritual every time one breaks a bone?”

His eyes came open to inquire and Merlin slapped his free hand over Arthur’s face.

“No peeking,” he said sternly, ignoring Arthur’s protests. “And yes, it definitely is. It’s not my fault you decided to go off chasing that guy in a crowded subway. If you could only curb your heroic impulses you wouldn’t be in this mess. Now stay still.”

“He stole that woman’s purse,” Arthur said, sulking. “What was I supposed to do? Allow him to escape? It’s the people who animate the stairs that you should be angry at, not me.”

Merlin hid a smile, even though Arthur couldn’t see it, and went back to drawing on his cast. It really hadn’t been funny at the time, watching Arthur sprint through the station after the thief and dive headlong down the escalator. Merlin’s heart had been in his mouth the whole time, especially when Arthur hadn’t come up again. All he could think was, what if the bloke’d had a gun? What if Arthur had broken his neck rather than his wrist? And, all right, yes, in the end Arthur had caught the guy and returned the woman’s purse and everyone in the station had clapped, but after all this time Merlin had trouble believing that all’s well that ends well. The last thing either of them needed was to draw attention to themselves.

The last thing he needed was to be left alone again.

Sighing, he finished adding the final touch to Arthur’s cast, and stepped back. “You can look now,” he said.

Arthur opened his eyes one at a time, glaring at Merlin suspiciously before turning his gaze to his broken wrist. Merlin watched as his eyebrows shot up, and a surprised smile spread slowly across his face.

“A gauntlet?” he questioned, looking up at Merlin. “I thought you wanted to curb my heroic impulses, not encourage them.”

Merlin flushed, and shrugged. “Think of it as a reminder,” he said, smiling a little in spite of himself. “That you’ll always be a knight to me. You don’t need to prove it to anyone.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, although Merlin could tell he was pleased in the way he ducked his head and suddenly found it difficult to look him in the face.

“You’re such a girl, Merlin,” he said gruffly, but there was affection in his voice. “Why do I put up with you?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Merlin said airily. “Because you’d be lost without me.”

Arthur got up from the settee, and ruffled Merlin’s hair as he walked past. “You keep telling yourself that,” he said, but it sounded like _of course I would_.


End file.
